Lesbian teacher told to work from home, group says

Ateacherat a Catholic high school for girls in Vancouver was told to work from home after parents complained abouthaving a lesbian teach their kids,a gay rights group says.

Earlier this week, Vancouver's Little Flower Academytold Lisa Reimer, a music teacher, to work from home for the rest of her contract, which expires in June, the Pride Education Network said Wednesday.

The advocacy group alleges that the private school sent Reimer home because she is a lesbian parent.

Reimer told the school administration of her sexual orientation when she formally requested parental leave in December2009 because her partner was expecting a baby, the group said.

She was denied the leave in January, and earlier this month she was told to stop teaching in class and work from home instead.

Parents worried

The principal told Reimer theadministration had no concerns abouther ability to teachbut thatmany parents were worried abouther potentialinfluence onstudents, the Pride Network said.

Reimer does not expect to have her contract renewed, the group said.

In a news release late Wednesday, Little Flower Academy's chair, Celso Boscariol, said he "was quite surprised" by Reimer's statements.

"A meeting took place [earlier this month] between the school and the teacherto discussprojects consistent with the music theory curriculum. The school understood that her proposed role was acceptable and the matter was resolved," Boscariol said.

Reimerwas hired in September 2009 on a contract that ran until June 30, 2010 to cover fora maternity leave, he said.

Boscariol's release made no mentionof complaints from the parents of students or that she had been asked to work from home.

The Pride Education Network originally said in a press release that Reimer had been fired but later confirmed she had been told to work from home.

'Clearly discrimination'

"Little Flower Academy is a publicly funded religious school," said Steve LeBel ofthe Pride Education Network in a statement released by the group on Wednesday morning.

"They are clearly discriminating against Ms. Reimer on the basis of her family status and sexual orientation. In 2010, it is absolutely unfathomable that any school would insinuate that students could be led into homosexuality by having a lesbian teacher, and then fire that teacher."

"This kind of discrimination and homophobia could never happen in a public school," said Glen Hansman, a vice-president with the Vancouver Elementary School Teachers' Association, in the statement.

"This case is a clear example why private schools should not receive any kind of public funding whatsoever. All teachers have the right to a safe and accepting workplace. Catholic schools should be no different."

Reimerwill remainon the school's payroll until June, but then plans tomove to the public school system in September as a teacher in Vancouver, said the group.

The Vancouver School Board has a discrete policythat explicitly protects lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender teachers from discrimination, said the group.